@ Oy Barrer te Whe, Ya? ¥ af . ¢ y ~ ‘ 
eee (079 
: v SS en ae 


THE { \ SA 
nh as f Xt 
< ie re co ‘ail ‘ 
bi Wh A) 6 \ 
TAVOY MISSION: 
ete ( 
: P i ( 
: a I Io ( 
Gag { + 4 Lf Sot 
z { [3 f fs F ‘ l 
Sey 
Wis MeIR el f 
ir pe.) F 
NY Perea sh f 


+ 


INCIDENTS OF Missionary’ Lire, 


ee ey Oe 
FROM MRS.’ MORROW’S LETTERS. 


PREPARED BY 


Pn os Ra Re 


meen eae 


FORMERLY MISSIONARY TO THE MAULMAIN KARENS. 


BOSTON : 
MISSIONARY Rooms, TREMONT TEMPLE. 
1880. 


S EAA 
WOW \ 
all 


Lot GA. 
al 
2 


Damatha 


TW ARE 
CRS J 
kA Three Pagodas 


> 
Us 


Tavor 7. 


TENASSERIM 
PROVINCES. 


Scale of Miles 
a 
20 40. 50 


( 
) 


“ 


ea 
7 


Noy 


({ 


eae = eee ace 
97 Lon. Kast from. Greenwich 


eA WO NEE oa GaN 


ENT RODUCTION. : 


THE first part of this paper is simply an epitome of the 
fifty years’ history of the Baptist missions in Tavoy and 
Mergui, now for several years merged in one, giving a bare 
record of names and dates, and mentioning a few notable 
incidents. The following books, with incomplete files of the 
Missionary Magazine, have been consulted: Wayland’s ZLzfe 
of Judson ; Gammell’s fzstory of American Baptist Missions ; 
The Karen Apostle, or Life of Ko Thah Byu,; Life of Sarah 
B. Judson, the Jubilee Volume; and Dr. Smith’s AZzsszonary 
Sketches. 

For the second part, thanks are due to Mrs. Charles H. 
Richards, of Holyoke, Mass., an intimate friend of Mrs. 
Morrow, who has carefully preserved and copied letters 
received from her since she sailed to her mission station in 
1876, and who kindly obtained and gave permission to make 
extracts from them for publication. 

That this paper may be blessed by the Great Head of 
the Church, to the good of the cause.and the increase of 
missionary intelligence and interest, is the sincere wish and 
prayer of the compiler. 


HOLYOKE, May, 1880. 


4 The Zavoy Mission. 


Pe ak 


IMAGINE yourselves aboard the little steamer ‘“Tavoy”’ as 
it goes up the Tavoy River, threading its way among the 
islands, till it reaches a city of the same name. You go 
ashore in a small Burman canoe, and then start for the 
mission house, which is two miles away on “Siam Hill.”, 
Passing between rows of Burman houses, thatched with 
leaves of dunnee, a species of dwarf palm, you leave the 
government buildings behind, cross a low paddy plain by a 
well-turnpiked road, and finally, with an abrupt turn to the 
left through an opening in the bamboo hedge, you reach 
your destination by passing through a long avenue of pe- 
douk-trees. You are greeted at the mission house by Rev. 
Horatio Morrow and his wife, and by Nau-Tee-Too, a bright 
Karen girl from Maulmain, their assistant in beginning to 
learn the language. /Vau is a Karen prefix, equivalent to 
Miss. From the hill on which the mission house stands, the 
missionary can easily show you the general extent of his 
field. ‘To the north is a high mountain near Yeh, midway 
between Maulmain and Tavoy. On the east, a long moun- 
tain-range towers in places a mile in height; and beyond 
this is the Tenasserim River, running in a southerly direction 
till it reaches the lowest part of the range, where it trends 
rapidly westward, and then towards the north till it flows 
into the archipelago at Mergui. This city is nine hours by 
steamer from Tavoy. ‘The field covers an area nearly equal 
in extent to the Connecticut Valley. Among these moun- 
tains, scattered about over these plains and islands, are the 
thousands of Karens, Talaings, and Burmese, to whom this 
one missionary and his wife are expected to carry the “ glad 
tidings of salvation,” assisted only by the few natives who 
have been qualified by Christian education. | 


Incidents of Mission Life. 5 


You are on historic ground. It is now more than fifty 
years since the beginning of the mission. In 1827, Moung 
Ing, one of the Burman converts, made a trip to Mergui, 
and on his return to Maulmain reported in favor of begin- 
ning a mission in that region. Early in April, 1828, George 
Dana Boardman and his wife removed from Maulmain to 
Tavoy. At that time there were about nine thousand inhab- 
itants in the city, two-thirds of whom were Burmese. Of the 
thousands living in the jungles or open country, the Karens 
especially were much interested, and came in groups and 
from distant villages to visit the missionary. They were 
attentive and eager to learn. Their traditions were such as 
to prepare them in a certain sense for the reception of the 
gospel message. 

Ko Thah Byu, a Karen convert who accompanied the mis- 
sionary from Maulmain, was baptized on the 16th of May, 
1828. In September, an old Karen with several followers 
brought to Mr. Boardman a book which had been regarded 
as an object of veneration, and preserved with great care. 
It was unwrapped with much ceremony in his presence, and 
proved to be an English prayer-book, which had fallen into 
their hands in some unaccountable way. They were told 
that it was not the book, but the Being described in the 
book, whom they ought to worship. 

During this same year, Moung Bo,* a Burman, was con- 
verted; and his baptism caused great excitement among the 
Buddhist population. A boarding-school was opened ; and 
the Karens, eager for knowledge, petitioned for more mis- 
sionaries from America. 

The year 1829 was an eventful one in the history of the 
mission. In January, Mr. Boardman made his first tour in 
the jungle. Soon afterward, he visited Mergui, with his wife, 
that the sea-breeze might restore his wasted strength. In 
June, little Sarah Boardman died. In August there was a 
revolt of the Burmese, by which the missionaries lost many 


* Moung, a Burman prefix for young and middle-aged men, equivalent to Mr. 


6 The Lavoy Mission. 


of their personal effects, and were in jeopardy of their lives. 
The thrilling story of their dangers and of the providential 
deliverance is given’ in the very interesting Memoir of 
Mrs. Boardman, afterwards Mrs. Sarah B. Judson. At the 
close of 1830 there were thirty-three Karens reported in the 
church. ‘That year witnessed the gradual failure of Mr. 
Boardman’s health, impaired by anxiety and by exposure in 
jungle travel; and on the 11th of February, 1831, his ‘“‘strong, 
heroic”’ soul passed away. He was in the jungle, returning 
from a village where he had seen thirty-four of the loved 
converts baptized by Rev. Francis Mason, who had come on 
a visit from Maulmain. Attended only by his loving wife, 
the brother missionary, and a group of sorrowing natives, 
he gave back his brave, self-sacrificing life to God. Mrs. 
Boardman was now left for a short time to work alone. 

_ In April, Rev. Francis Mason and his wife removed from 
Maulmain to Tavoy. He took up the work with vigor, 
and spent much time in the jungle among the villages. At 
the close of 1831 there were reported seven schools, one 
hundred and seventy pupils, twelve boys and eleven girls 
in the boarding-school, and one hundred and ten disciples. 
In October, Mr. and Mrs. Wade, of Maulmain, went to 
Mergui, and remained five months. 

In 1834, the first missionary society was formed in Tavoy, 
and two native preachers were supported by local contribu- 
tions. Mr. Judson visited Tavoy in April, and was married 
to Mrs. Boardman. 

Rev. Jonathan Wade and his wife, with Miss Gardner, 
joined the mission at Tavoy in January, 1835. Soon after, 
Mr. and Mrs. Wade, with Mr. Mason, went to visit the 
Karen village of Mata; and Mrs. Wade spent some weeks 
among the people, while the two missionaries went on a 
preaching tour down the Tenasserim River and around by 
Mergui again to Tavoy. There is a journal kept by Mrs. 
Wade during the weeks she stayed alone in Mata, and pub- 
lished in the A@issconary Magazine for February, 1836, and 


Incidents of Mission Life. a 


in succeeding numbers. We have also a letter from her to 
Mrs. Sarah B. Judson, bearing date April 12, 1835. <A few 
lines quoted from the latter will show some of the difficul- 
ties of the way between Tavoy and the Karen village, a dis- 
tance of thirty-five miles. She says: “ After we had travelled 
three or four miles, we entered a thick jungle, where there 
was only a narrow foot-path ; and often we were obliged to 
walk a long way in a stream of water, stepping from one 
stone to another, so that my chair was of very little use.... 
About two o’clock, we pitched our tent for dinner, and just 
as we were ready to set out again a large party of Karen 
Christians (men and women) came to meet and welcome us. 
They had come from Mata, a village about twelve miles 
distant. We now quickened our pace, so that we reached 
the houses of a few Christians by daylight, and ‘there we 
pitched our tent again. Here, though so much fatigued, 
we had a delightful time with the dear Christians; and in 
the morning, while it was cool, we went on to Mata. This 
is Brother Mason’s Christian village; and the name, you see, 
signifies love or affection. There were about thirty houses 
in the village ; and, though a large number of young people 
and children and a few older ones are not members of the 
church, yet in every house prayer is daily offered, and all 
acknowledge the Bible as the rule of their lives.” 

Durings1545, chev jeer. Vinton and hist wife.cameé. to 
Tavoy and spent the rainy season, giving valuable assist- 
ance in the school ‘work. 

In 1836, Rev. E. L. Abbott visited the station, and also 
Rev. Howard Malcom, who made a tour of inspection to 
nearly all the mission stations in Asia. 

In March, 1837, Rev. Cephas Bennett and his wife ar- 
rived at Tavoy, with a printing-press; and in December in 
the same year Mr. R. B. Hancock, also a printer, reached 
Mergui, together with Rev. Eugenio Kincaid. In October 
of the next year, Rev. L. Ingalls commenced to work among 
the Burmese, remaining till 1845, when he left on account 


8 The Tavoy Mission. 


of his wife’s health. Rev. D. L. Brayton began his labors 
among the Pwo Karens at this time, and has since been an 
indefatigable worker and the firm friend of that race. 

In September, 1841, the J/orning Star, a monthly paper 
printed in Karen, was camiione ed and has been continued 
to the present time. It is now printed in Rangoon. On the 
1st of November, 1843, the New Testament was finished in 
Karen; and, in this year, twelve preachers were studying 
with Mr. Mason, forming the nucleus of what afterward 
became the Karen Theological Seminary, located first at 
Maulmain and then at Rangoon. 

In 1844, a church of thirteen Salongs was organized in 
the islands between T'avoy and Penang. ‘They were a very 
low race of people, who, nevertheless, seemed susceptible to 
religious impressions.’ Rev. E. A. Stevens, using the Pwo 
Karen dialect as a basis, reduced their language to writ- 
ing. In January of this year, Mr. Bennett visited Mata, and 
baptized twenty-two converts. In the month of May, Mr. 
Thomas 8S. Ranney, a printer, arrived with his wife to assist 
in the work, accompanied by Miss Julia A. Lathrop. The 
latter was able to stay only two years on account of her 
failing health. At this time there was a great religious 
awakening in one of the Karen villages ; and meetings were 
conducted by Mr. Mason and Mr. Vinton. On the 25th of 
March, 1845, Rev. E. B. Cross arrived to assist-in the Karen 
work; and soon afterward Mr. Ranney left the station for 
Maulmain. The succeeding year, 1846; was another event- 
ful one. In October, Mrs. Mason died, after sixteen years 
of faithful work. Sau Quala* was ordained, and was a 
zealous preacher for many years. A school-building was 
erected for Mr. Cross during this year. Mr. Wade, on 
account of threatened blindness, sailed for America on the 
22d of December, 1847, and reached Boston on the 31st of 
July, 1848,— quite a contrast with the two months’ voyages 
of our missionaries at the present day. 


* Sau is a Karen prefix, equivalent to Mr. 


Incidents of Mission Life. 9 


In 1848, Mr. Mason was transferred to the Karen Mission 
at Maulmain, and a new chapel was built at Tavoy. Rev. 
Judson Benjamin arrived in April, 1849, and worked among 
the Salongs already mentioned. With the help of Mr. 
Brayton, who with Mr. Stevens had previously done some- 
thing for them, a vocabulary of twelve or fifteen hundred 
Salong words was collected. 

In March, 1851, Mr. Mason returned to Tavoy, and in 
May Rev. B. C. Thomas and his wife arrived. In October, 
to54) kev. Thomas Allen ‘arrived, to’ take” charge .of ‘the 
Burmese department. Messrs. Mason, Bennett, Brayton, 
and Thomas were transferred to other stations, and thus 
the working force was greatly weakened. During this year, 
the Sgau Karen Bible was finished, and the printing-office 
removed to Maulmain. In 1854,* Sau Quala explored the 
valley of the Sitang or Sitoung, and baptized a large number 
Ofaconverts; = Mr. Cross returned to’ Tavoy in’ June, 18.55, 
and found the mission in a low state. Still, more than a 
thousand Christians were reported, and a thousand rupees 
were raised by the Tavoy Missionary Society. In 1857, the 
Karen churches resolved to be self-supporting. The next 
year, Mr. Allen, after preaching in every part of the city and 
visiting every village on the Tavoy River, was obliged to 
return to the United States. In February, 1860, Mr. Cross 
left the station and removed to Toungoo. 

From this time there have been long intervals in which 
there was no resident missionary. In October, 1860, how- 
ever, Rev. C. Hibbard of the Maulmain Karen Mission 
arrived, with the purpose of visiting the Karens. Accom- 
panied by Rev. James R. Haswell of the Burman Mission, 
who had previously come to Tavoy for a short visit, he went 
to the village of Mata. He speaks of the path as the hardest 
and worst he had ever travelled. In the gorge to be de- 
scribed in the second part (page 26), they were one hour 


*Sau Quala subsequently fell into disgrace, but afterward rerented and was restored 
to the church, though not to the ministry. He has lately died. 


10 The Tavoy Mission. 


and forty-five minutes in going two miles. On Sunday there 
was preaching by the missionaries in Karen and Burmese. 
At the morning service, one hundred and fifty-one were 
present. Mr. Hibbard visited the station annually for two 
or three years in succession, and in January, 1863, went 
overland from Maulmain to attend the association at Mata. 
He was nineteen days on the journey, and found the disci- 
ples assembled and waiting for him, and the Karens glad to 
welcome him as a leader, if it were only for an associational 
meeting. ‘It was impossible for him, with a large mission 
station already on his hands, to give them more than one 
visit of a few weeks at the most each year. The mission- 
aries who visited Tavoy saw its destitution and need, and 
were urgent in their requests that the committee would once 
more send some one to have the entire charge of the work. 

In the course of a year or two, Rev. I. D. Colburn, who 
had gone out to Burmah in 1863, was appointed to the 
Karens of Tavoy, and went there in company with the vet- 
erans, Dr. and Mrs. Wade, who had worked so earnestly in 
this field in former years, and who were therefore acquainted 
with many of the native Christians. They received a hearty 
welcome ; and the work, which had languished for lack of 
care, was taken up with vigor in both the Karen and Burman 
departments. Sixty were baptized in one year, and a great 
deal of interest was manifested in the school. 

On the 5th of October, 1868, Mrs. Wade died, after a long 
and useful missionary life, and was buried in this city, the 
scene of many of her devoted labors. Dr. Wade soon after 
left for Rangoon, where he remained till his death, in 1872. 
Mr. Colburn also was obliged to leave for arduous work in 
other departments, but always retained a strong affection for 
the, (Lavoy-Karenss 

The next missionary to occupy the field a short time was 
Rey. J. F. Norris, who came from Maulmain with his family. 
Having labored in both the Burmese and Karen depart- 
ments, he had acquired a little of both languages, and took 


Lncdents of Mission Life. OE 


up the work with such zeal that his health was soon im- 
paired. Early in 1870, he succeeded in procuring the pres- 
ent eligible compound for the use of the mission, which is 
probably unsurpassed by any in Burmah for beauty, conven- 
ience, and healthfulness of location. Mr. Norris made 
several trips in the jungle; and on one occasion, while 
on his way to Mergui with his family and several natives 
in a sailing craft, the vessel suddenly sank, giving Mr. Nor- 
ris barely time by the most violent exertions to save the lives 
of all in a little boat which was providentially being towed 
astern of the larger one. With great difficulty they reached 
a point of land, from which they were rescued after suffer- 
ing much misery from want of food and clothing. 

In July, 1871, Mr. Norris, suffering from fever and over- 
work, came with his family to Maulmain; and in a few 
weeks, having intrusted the charge of the Tavoy Mission to 
Reyes. B Rand; -hée\sailed for America: 

In December, 1872, Mr. Rand visited Tavoy with Miss H. 
Maria Norris of Nova Scotia, and soon after accompanied 
her as far as Mata on her way to visit the Karens of Siam. 
Mr. Rand could not be absent long from his work in Maul- 
main, and soon returned. Miss Norris found it impracti- 
cable to remain among the Karens of Siam, and so came 
back to Tavoy, taking up with energy the school work, for 
which she was well qualified by nature, experience, and a 
good knowledge of the Karen language. Early in 1874, 
Miss Norris was married to Rev. W. F. Armstrong; and 
they vigorously prosecuted both school and jungle work, 
with a few short intervals of absence, till they were called 
by the Nova Scotia Board to work for the Teloogoos in 
India. ‘Their departure was deeply regretted by the Ka- 
rens, and by the missionaries of Burmah. 

In January, 1875, Mr. and Mrs. Brayton arrived at Mergui 
on a visit from Rangoon, and, after an absence of twenty 
years, went to the scene of their early labors, attending the 
meetings of the association on the Tenasserim River. In 


12 The Tavoy Mission. 


November, Mr. Rand went to Tavoy to attend to the mis- 
sion property, but could remain only a few days. He saw 
teachers Moo Lah and Plau Pau, who felt much depressed 
because there was no missionary to direct them. 

Early in 1876, Mr. W. H. S. Hascall of the Maulmain 
Burman Mission went down to Tavoy, attended the asso- 
ciation, and spent some weeks in visiting the churches. 
During all these years, the visiting missionaries saw and felt 
the great necessity of permanent care for this much neg- 
lected station ; and so, when it was known at the end of the 
year that Rev. Horatio Morrow and his wife were on the 
way thither, there was great joy among the Karens and 
the missionaries. Mr. and Mrs. Morrow arrived early in 
1877, and are now greatly beloved by the people, and con- 
stantly growing in love for the work and affection for the 
Karens. Miss L. E. Miller, previously connected with the 
college in Rangoon, joined them early in 1880. Mrs. Mor- 
row’s thorough medical education is an invaluable help in 
all the work of the mission. 

In November, 1879, the meetings of the Burmah Baptist 
Convention were held at Tavoy; and the missionaries at 
this isolated station were glad to welcome a number of 
their co-workers from other places. At the close of the 
meetings, several converts were baptized in a large tank 
near the mission compound. Rev. J. B. Vinton; a son 
of the missionary of the same name, previously mentioned, 
went among the jungle churches for a short time, and 
baptized several converts. Rev. C. H. Carpenter and his 
wife, of the Bassein Mission, also visited the station during 
the year, and, together with the missionaries in charge, 
spent a short time at Monmagan, a delightful sanitarium 
on the beach, about seven miles over the mountains west 
of the Tavoy River. The Woman’s Baptist Missionary 
Society has purchased a small cottage there ; and the cool 
sea-breeze and the retired location make it an attractive 
and useful retreat for the missionary during the hot month 


Lneidents of Mission Life. 13 


of April, where he can retire to rest and read and study 
the language. 

We have done little more than name the workers in this 
field. The story of some of their work may be found in 
other books. The larger part of it, though unrecorded by 
the human pen, is written in heaven, where many of these 
laborers have gone. 


Pee 


EXTRACTS FROM MRS. MORROW'S LETTERS. 


THE second part of this little book is made up of extracts 
from letters written during the first years of missionary life, 
when everything was fresh and new, and the time for letter- 
writing more abundant than it will ever be again. These 
letters were written for a circle of home friends, and were 
never intended for publication. ‘The simple, unaffected 
story of a missionary’s first impressions in a heathen land, 
and the glimpse of every-day life in Burmah, which is given, 
cannot fail to be interesting and instructive. 

A few short extracts from a letter written by Mrs. Morrow 
in January, 1877, to friends in this country, will give an ex- 
cellent idea of the mission house and the town of Tavoy:— 

‘““We have the prettiest compound I have seen.  Origi- 
nally, it contained forty acres; but a lot has been sold off, 
so that there is not much more than twenty acres in it now. 
The two places are surrounded by a bamboo hedge ; and its 
light, feathery foliage has a pleasing effect, especially where 
it lies against the sky. ... The house stands nearly a quarter 
of a mile from the street.... From the bedroom, we look 
out on a smooth meadow, the grass now dry, with here and 
there a tree.... Beyond all this is the feathery forest, com- 
posed largely of cocoanut-trees. Though we do not see a 
roof or a chimney-top, we know that in this forest live fifteen 


14 The LTavoy Mission. 


thousand Burmans, the inhabitants of the town of Tavoy.... 
On the east side of the house there is a large banyan-tree, 
with other trees which make a goodly shade, while the south 
and west sides are open to the sun. Our gentle breezes 
are from the west, so it does not so much matter. .-. . There 
are few Burman Christians in Tavoy, and the Karens are in 
the mountains around.... The mayor of the town, Moung 
Shway Hlaing, is a Burman, and a nominal Christian. He 
has been to see us twice, and sent his carriage for me when 
we came in on the steamer. His wife died a short time 
since, and left money to build a chapel, which is now being 


erected.”’ 


A WALK DOWN TOWN. 
“January 29, 1877. 


“On our way, we passed the old mission compound, * 
where Mr. and Mrs. Wade, Mr. and Mrs. Mason, and Mr. 
and Mrs. Bennett have lived, and where some of them died. 
Now it is partly built over with native houses, and the air 
seemed close and filthy. Besides, we could not see the 
mountains at all. We came back doubly thankful for our 
pleasant home; for we are very comfortable here, and yet 
are not so far removed from the city that we cannot see the 
people. 


VISITORS FROM THE JUNGLE. 
“ Webe3,- 177. 


“Our friends from the jungle begin to come in. A man 
and his wife came two days’ journey yesterday, and brought 
us ten eggs and a bag of rice. They are both Christians, 
and can read, so we gave them some tracts, and talked to 
them a bit through Nau-Tee-Too. To-day, the head man 
from one of the villages, two days distant, came in. He 
said repeatedly that he was very glad to see the teachers 
here. ‘He pray much for them to come.’ He went into 
town and drew his pay for the past month, and, when going 
home, he stopped and left two rupees.... The Karens are 
dirty, but very affectionate ; and I think we shall love them.” 


* An enclosure with its buildings. 


Incidents of Mission Life. 15 


THE NATIVE HOUSES. 
; ‘“Hebruary 133.1077 


“The greater part of the houses are built of bamboo. As 
there is but one small steam saw-mill in the place, sawn 
timber is very expensive, while bamboo does not need to 
be sawed,— indeed, it cannot be. For the walls, the split 
bamboo is woven or plaited, like the bottom of old-fashioned 
kitchen-chairs. Bamboo is very tall, straight, and slender. 
It is also very supple; so that it looks very graceful in grow- 
ing, particularly as its foliage is fine, and hence it makes a 
beautiful contrast with the coarse palms, of which we have 
so many. It is also hollow, so that it is readily split into 
pieces suitable for plaiting. For the doors, they have 
bamboo woven like basket-work and set in a frame made of 
small bamboo poles. ‘The houses all stand up from two to 
seven or eight feet from the ground. They are supported on 
_ posts set in the ground about six feet apart. The floor is 
often made of bamboo poles woven together and resting on 
the posts underneath. ‘The whole structure is tied together 
with rattan, as nails are of no use whatever in bamboo. The 
roofs are made of bamboo poles about six inches apart, tied 
with rattan to other poles running at right angles, and the 
whole covered with thatch. Thatch is made from a leaf 
which women and children sew together with rattan. It is 
kept for sale in pieces about ten feet long and one foot wide. 
These pieces: overlap eachrother’ likeishineles, a7", 


FUNERAL OF A PONGYEE, OR BUDDHIST PRIEST. 
“ March 16, 1877. 


“This pongyee died a year ago ; and, as is the custom, he 
was embalmed in honey and kept twelve months. We drove 
out to a little village a mile and a half from town, and there 
we found a large crowd of people,— several thousands, I 
should think,— dressed in their gay clothes, collected to- 
gether in knots under the shade of trees or under temporary 
bamboo sheds covered with palm-leaves. The crowd was 


16 Lhe Tavoy Mission. 


clustered around three sides of a gay structure, built, like the 
pongyee kyoungs (dwellings of priests), with a series of 
roofs one above another, each higher one smaller than the 
one below. Sometimes there are as many as seven of these 
roofs. We soon discovered that the dead body of the pon- 
gyee lay in this kyoung, which has a framework of bamboo 
ornamented with paper of brilliant colors. In the front part 
of the kyoung, about fifteen feet from the ground, was some- 
thing which we judged to be the casket, though it was much 
larger than any we see at home. Beneath this floated a red 
flag. When we arrived, the crowd appeared orderly; but 
they were eating and chatting merrily. Now, how do you 
think these people were going to show respect to their dead 
pongyee? By firing rockets at his body, and finally consum- 
ing it with its fragile kyoung: Rockets were fired about 
once in five minutes, and the kyoung took fire several times 
while we were there; but, not having had sufficient sport, 
they ran with water and put it out. Thus the ceremony was 
prolonged, till we were obliged to come home without seeing 
the burning. How strange it seemed that they should thus 
treat the body of one whom they so much venerated during 
life! But this is a ‘Burmese custom,’ which seems to be 
a sufficient reason for anything absurd to this unthinking 
people.”’ 
THE OPENING OF THE SCHOOL. 
A prili2g, 2897; 

‘School will commence May 1, and twenty-three boys and 
girls are here now. ‘The native pastors also hold a confer- 
ence here now; and, as several have already arrived, they 
have all assembled in the chapel for their first meeting. 
Some of the boys and girls walked two and three days to 
get here. A company of eight came together last night after 
nine o’clock, having walked two days. ‘Two of these were 
girls. One girl came with only one suit of clothes, and that 
very dirty, and about two dollars; but she said she did not 
care, if she only learned. However, she has some new 


Incidents of Mission Life. 17 


clothes now, but no books. To-day, she has been sewing 
all day for some of the boys who have bought their clothes 
since they came to town. ‘They are shockingly dirty.... 
‘To-day, they have been cleaning the chapel, and to-night 
it looks very nicely. Both the girls and the boys will have 
very comfortable dormitories, if they only take proper care 
of them. Nau-Tee-Too is just as neat as any American 
girl, but it is very hard for her to tell the new-comers that 
they must put themselves in soak immediately. [I am so 
glad to see them come, and only wish my tongue was loose. 
I am beginning to understand conversation a little, but ser- 
mons and prayers are quite beyond me yet. You remember 
Plau Pau is our native teacher. He lives in a little basket- 
house on the compound. We like him very much indeed, 
and every one says of him that he wears well.” 
“ Monday. 


“Our children continue to come in. Ten came in one day 
last week, having walked four days. ‘Two were little girls, 
twelve and thirteen years of age ; and one a Shan boy with- 
out father or mother, clothes, money, or books. He has a 
bright face, however. His first request was for eight annas 
(about twenty-five cents) to buy a fah, a sort of basket, 
which can be shut like a box, and takes the place of a small 
trunk. When Nau-Tee-Too asked him what he would do 
with a basket, he said, when he got a chance, he was going 
to earn some money and buy some clothes to put in it. 
We bought him a suit of clothes to-day for a dollar and a 
quarter. As we somewhat expected to work for the Shans 
at one time, we feel the more interest in him. ‘Their wants 
are so easily supplied that one is tempted to envy them. 
They lie down on a mat at night without a pillow, in the 
same clothes they have worn through the day. A dish of 
rice and curry twice a day is all they want to eat. We have 
had half a dozen low tables made for them. Before this, 
they have sat on the floor, and taken their rice in their laps. 
They must still sit on the floor, but put their plates on the 
tables.” 


18 The Tavoy Mission. 


“Saturday morning, May 5. 


“School opened on the 3d, with thirty-three pupils. Some 
of the boys are quite intelligent; read well, have studied 
arithmetic through division, and know something of geog- 
raphy. Better than all, they are Christian boys. ‘Their 
names are very funny. One means Green Hand, another 
big boy is called Little Lamb; one, Money; and still an- 
other, Honey-comb-flower. Then we have an Abraham, 
Terah, Simon, Peter, and Paul. All the school recite Bible- 
lessons for an hour in the morning after devotions. Plau 
Pau has the older ones, and Nau-Tee-Too the younger 
ones, whom she brings over to our veranda. I have prom- 
ised to help her with her lessons, as she says she cannot tell 
‘what means.’ The second hour, the younger children read, 
and the older study arithmetic. In the afternoon, we have 
Burmese, English, geography, writing, ete. At seven, they 
meet again for prayers, and afterward sing. We cannot 
afford them suitable lamps for study in the evening, so we 
are obliged to fill their time in some other way. They 
cook their own rice, go to bazaar, wash dishes, besides 
pounding and cleaning their own rice. We mean to have 
them all work one hour a day.” 


AN EARLY CONVERT. 
“June:4, 1377. 


‘““A few days ago, we had a call from an old Christian 
woman from the jungle, who went to a school kept by 
Mrs. Sarah Boardman, while she was a widow living in 
Tavoy. She had seen Mr. Boardman, but was not baptized 
till after his death. She has a Bible and a Testament, but 
is not able to read now, as her sight has failed. We are 
astonished, when we remember the great change that has 
taken place in the condition of the Karens during that 
woman’s life. She must be one of the first-fruits of labor 
among this people. It was not far from her village that 
Mr. Boardman saw the first party of Karens baptized, and 


Incidents of Mission Life. 19 


then quickly ‘fell on sleep,’ his eyes having seen the Lord’s 
salvation. Then, they had not a book or a written lan- 
guage, and very few of them could read any language. 
Now, thousands of them can read, and the Christians are 
more than twenty thousand. ‘Then, no schools or churches ; 
now, the jungle in many parts is dotted with both, and all 
within the memory of this poor old woman. We do not 
forget the ‘regions beyond,’ where there is still no school, 
no church, no Bible, no God and Saviour. Several native 
teachers have gone from this district to those who have 
never heard the gospel, and we want to send more. Moo 
Lah is here with us now, pluming his wings for a journey 
and sojourn among the heathen....He is the smartest 
Karen I have seen yet, and is very useful, I judge. When 
here, he preaches in both Karen and Burmese, and seems 
always ready to do whatever his hands find to do. We 
hope he will be able to do much good. His plan is to have 
a school in some village, and then preach in surrounding 
villages, as he can.” 


THE RAINS. 
ealyng,1O7 ye 

“Every day, it rains, rains, rains; but we have not had 
severe storms of wind lately. The books on our table be- 
come covered with mildew, and everything smells musty. 
... I wonder the days do not seem unbearably dreary, but 
they do not. Indeed, I enjoy the rain very much, and all 
the fields are very fresh and green. Between our compound 
and the town there are large paddy-fields (fields for raising 
rice), a great part of which have been planted, and are now 
of a bright green, like a field of wheat just out of the ground.” 


A DAY’S WORK. 
*Tuly: 16, 1377: 


“The days go by so fast and are so full of little duties 
that my letters are in danger of losing the character of a 
journal. I should like to take you through a day with us. 


20 The Tavoy Mission. 


... The bell at half-past five wakes us. Five minutes later, 
we hear the voices of the girls on the veranda ready for 
their sewing. A few minutes later, we hear Nau-Tee-Too 
opening the doors and taking out the sewing, giving each 
one a piece.... By the time I come out, the sewing-circle 
is running briskly. The children are all up early. The 
Burmese, too, are early risers.... One of the girls sweeps 
for me, while I put things in order, run around the sewing- 
circle a few times, and get a cup of tea for the sick ones, 
of whom we always have a few. The girls have awkward 
ways of holding their work, which I try to correct. Then 
they are trying to use thimbles, which they do not much 
enjoy. The larger ones work button-holes now, though 
they are rough. Their jackets, when finished, look very 
nicely ; and they are certainly strong, for we fell all the 
seams.) I have: them» ’do' this. partly foy the practices: At 
twenty minutes past seven, they all go home (z.2., to the dor- 
mitories), and at half-past seven they eat breakfast. Then 
I look over my stores, and send Abi to the bazaar. After 
their breakfast, the children drop in for paper and pencils, 
oil, soap, or medicine, or anything else they can think of.... 
These things, with httle attentions to the sick, fill up all my 
time till Bible class, at nine o’clock. At ten, we have prayers, 
then breakfast; and, after sending food to the sick ones 
again, I study Karen, read medicine, sew, or write letters, 
as the case may be. At a quarter before two, the arith- 
metic class meets, when I mean to be with them, and at 
half-past three we have our English classes. At four, dinner. 
After dinner, I intend to walk. Now, I have two patients 
in town, whom I visit two or three times a week, and call 
at the hospital to see my Karen friends about as often. 
At half-past seven, we recite Karen. Sometimes, after les- 
son, Nau-Tee-Too and I study Bible-lesson for the next 
day, and sometimes we leave it till after the sewing-circle 
in the morning. After prayers, we are always tired enough 
to go to bed.” 


Incidents of Mission Life. ya 


STORMS. 
“ August 2, 1877. 


“The nights have been fearful. We would wake to hear 
a sound as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it would fill the 
house. I expected our roof would go, but we escaped un- 
harmed, save a little sprinkling now and then ; for, in these 
open houses, the wind comes in laden with spray. Soon the 
rain comes in torrents. Seemingly, the clouds have burst, 
and whole sheets of water are pouring down. For several 
days and nights, the rains have hardly ceased. ‘The paddy- 
fields are converted into lakes; and, as it is new moon, the 
tide sets in from the overflowing river, and the streets in town 
have been submerged.” 


HEATHEN SUPERSTITION. 
peep 20, hour. 


“A few fatal cases of cholera have occurred in town. 
Last evening, as Nau-Tee-[oo and I were walking down 
town, we saw a pongyee, or Burman priest, in his yellow 
robe, sitting on a kind of lounge with a mat thrown over it, 
and some offerings of fruit, leaves, flowers, etc., each side of 
him ; while on the ground in front of him were forty or fifty 
persons, all kneeling, and holding in their hands a flower or 
some fancy paper,.all notched so as to appear ornamental. 
The priest held a large fan before his face, for he must not 
see any person when he mumbles over his prayers. ‘They 
were beseeching Gaudama that they might be saved from 
cholera. <A little farther down the street, we passed a house 
in which was suspended a beautiful little boat, about six 
feet in length, all decorated and apparently gayly painted. 
Upon inquiry, we found it was made of paper, and that the 
priest had told them to make it, and then to come to the 
spot where we had seen the worshipping crowd, and there 
pray that all the cholera might go into this boat. After 
praying another day (to-day), they will launch the boat in the 
river, when they are told that all the ‘sickness will go away 
with it. Poor creatures, are they not to be pitied?”’ 


22 The Zavoy Mission. 


VISITORS AND THEIR WAYS. 
“Oct. 30/1877. 

“You would be amused to see some of the jungle people, 
when they come here. They come up on the veranda, hot 
and dirty, and squat down on the floor. Then they get up 
and come a little nearer the sitting-room door, and squat 
down again and look about the house, and for the first time 
in their lives see the inside of a respectable home. The 
women will sometimes venture further, and look into the 
other rooms ; but they seldom offer to go beyond the sitting- 
room.. An old priest came here the other day, and he said: 
‘God once came to the earth; and he wanted to cross a 
great river, so he asked a Burman to take him over, but the 
Burman had no boats that would stem the river. Then he 
asked a Karen, and the Karen had no boat. Then he asked 
the English, and the Englishman took him in a fine steamer 
and brought him across the river. On this account, he gives 
all the English best things to eat, best houses to live in, best 
sit down places, best sleep places.’ ”’ 


CLOSE OF LENT. 


““Since my last letter, Burmese Lent has closed with im- 
posing ceremonies. For two days, the town was given up to 
revelry. Both evenings, the streets were beautifully illumi- 
nated for several miles. ‘They made a slight bamboo fence, 
with a pole split in two and placed on the top of the fence, 
with the concave side up. In this bamboo pole, they placed 
small lamps of earthen-ware, distant from each other only 
about a foot and a half. The roads leading to the idol- 
houses and pongyee-kyoungs were all illuminated, the lights 
leading directly up to the idols. Then the idol-houses were 
adorned with Chinese lanterns. The house containing the 
large idol from Mandelay we can see distinctly from our 
house. The sight from our house was very pretty. 

“One year ago to-day, November 1, we were steaming up 
the Clyde and landing at Glasgow. What a charming day it 


Lncdents of Mission Life. Ze 


was, and how delightful it looks in the retrospect! I can 
see those beautiful green hills with their cosey residences yet. 
How squalid Burman houses look in contrast! Yet we trust 
Burmah will yet rejoice in its Christian homes ; for nothing 
but Christianity can create a civilization that makes and pre- 
serves a home.” 


VEST ee Om MUA a AT 


A description of the journey to Mata has already been 
given in a preceding page, taken from a letter of Mrs. 
Wade, written forty-five years ago. In January, 1878, the 
Karen association was held at that village, so familiar in 
the history of the Tavoy Mission. Mr. and Mrs. Morrow 
attended with the usual company of native Christians, and 
a description of the visit is well worth repeating. 


“ January 17, 1878. 

“‘One week ago... we were located in the little chapel 
at Mata, with one corner partitioned off with curtains for 
a sleeping-room. All the meetings were held in a kind of 
temporary building very near the chapel. I was interrupted 
in my writing by a woman bringing to me a sick child, 
almost blue with death. It died the same day at four 
o’clock, and was buried at moonlight. The mother was a 
sister of one of our girls, and belongs to a good Chris- 
tian family. The little one was her only son, though she 
has three girls. We were interested in the funeral and 
burial of this little one so far away in the jungle. We 
gathered a few friends at about seven o’clock, and seated 
ourselves upon the floor around the room, when the Karen 
teacher read a chapter from the Bible, a prayer was offered, 
a hymn sung, and then the father wrapped the child in a 
nice blanket and covered it with a silk turban, then wrapped 
a large mat about it, tying it with a splint of bamboo. He 
then carried it to the grave in his arms, accompanied by 
some teachers and friends, though no women went. Mr. 
Morrow said they went to the woods, dug a little grave 


24 The Tavoy Mission. 


about two and a half feet deep, put in the body and cov- 
eredait. 

That going to Mata was a novel experience, but very 
pleasant for many reasons. One could well afford to take 
such a trip for the ride and the trees and ferns and brooks, 
to say nothing of seeing the people and their homes, and 
the advantage of knowing more about the work and the 
wants of the different villages. We left home January 15, 
at three o’clock P.M., and walked three miles to the resting- 
place of the elephants. There we found five elephants 
awaiting us. Our party consisted of Mr. Morrow and 
myself, Nau-Tee-Too, Moo Lah and his wife, and a Bur- 
mese Christian girl and four school-boys (who had remained 
behind, when the rest of the school left here on Monday), 
and, besides, about thirty Karens, men, women, and _ chil- 
dren from different villages. The elephants were provided 
with howdahs, about four feet long and a foot and a half 
wide, and, at the sides, two feet deep. The howdah is 
arranged with bags and baggage under the seat and at the 
sides. Then Mr. Morrow mounts the first elephant. A 
few bags are put in the second, some bedding tied on 
behind, the creature made to bow down, when Nau-Tee-Too 
and I mount, and the old fellow gets up, and we find 
ourselves about twelve feet above ground. Moo Lah’s wife 
and the Burman girl mount a third, some boxes containing 
provisions, cooking utensils, canvas-beds, folding-chairs, etc., 
are packed. on the fourth and fifth, when the procession 
moves away. With every step, we pitch forward and 
then make a sudden jerk backward. Backward and for- 
ward, backward and forward, on we go, the road gradually 
narrowing to a foot-path, now through the woods, and again 
across a paddy-field for an hour or two; but very soon all 
paddy-fields disappear, and we see only woods and trees 
of a low growth, which have sprung up on fields once culti- 
vated. We draw nearer and nearer the hills, which we have 
so often seen at the east of Tavoy. It was six o’clock when 


_ Lheidents of Mission Life. 25 


we started on the elephants, so we are soon having a ride 
by moonlight up the mountain. Just on the summit, we pass 
a pagoda, which we afterwards learn stands very near the 
place where Mr. Boardman breathed his last. You remem- 
ber he made a trip to the jungle to see the first company 
of Karens baptized, and died on his way home. We shall 
sleep to-night near the stream where the baptism - took 
place, and not far from the very spot. This pagoda is the 
last one we see. The Karens do not build pagodas, though 
they sometimes worship them. We do not stop till twenty 
minutes past ten P.M., having been more than four hours 
in the howdah. We were very tired indeed, but hardly 
felt like mentioning it in the face of the great company of 
foot-passengers, some of whom had carried children of a 
year old all that time and distance. Abi, the Kolah cook, 
gets us a cup of tea and some bread and butter ; and we put 
up our beds in a frame of a little house without walls or 
covering for the roof. The night is quite cold, so we are 
glad to sleep under a comforter and a pair of woollen 
blankets. : 

In the morning at five o’clock, we are stirring again, 
but do not leave till seven. Now, we:come to the wildest 
part of the journey. After crossing and recrossing a small 
river, we finally follow its bed, which brings us into a 
narrow defile where the banks of the river are very steep 
hills, and we can only travel in the very bed of the river, 
which is as full of rocks and boulders as any stream I ever 
saw. Very carefully, the elephants pick their way, now on 
this bank for a little way, and now on that, and again in 
the river itself, sometimes climbing up rocks as steep as 
any flight of stairs.... For a while, we felt very uneasy, 
but before we reached home we were quite at ease mentally, 
though jaded almost to death physically. At ten o’clock, 
we stopped again for an hour, and took a little refreshment. 
Then we changed our course, and followed a mountain brook, 
keeping all the time in the bed of the stream. Thus, we 


26 The Tavoy Mission. 


reached the top of one of the spurs of the hills, when we 
followed another stream down the more precipitous eastern 
slope. Though it was the middle of the day in this tropical 
country, yet the air was deliciously cool in that deep moun- 
tain gorge. ‘There was very little water in the brook ; but, 
oh, such a collection of ferns as grew along its banks!... 
We passed one tree-fern with a main trunk twenty or thirty 
feet in height. ... Fairly down the hill, we had three hours’ 
ride through a bamboo grove, when, at a little past four, we 
found ourselves dismounting at the little chapel in Mata. 
For centuries, this people have passed over that rough, rough 
road. Apparently, not the least attempt is made to keep it 
in order. I think for fifty times, perhaps for twice that 
number, we went round some tree that had fallen across 
the way. If the tree lay flat on the ground, the elephant 
must step over it; but if, as often happened, it lay one or 
two feet above the ground, the elephant must often climb a 
steep, rocky bank, up above the roots of the tree, and down 
again. Sometimes, he must step over a tree and turn a sharp 
corner, when going down a steep precipice. If he stepped at 
all roughly, the driver would chide him sharply. We found 
the weather much colder than at Tavoy,— indeed, it did not 
seem hot any of the time. The people brought us rice, 
chickens, eggs, and plantains in abundance. Im fact, we 
hardly knew what to do with all: our stores; but Nau-Tee- 
Too told us we must take all, for the donors would be very 
much ashamed to carry their gifts home again. Meetings 
were held three times every day during the four days we 
were there,—a prayer-meeting every morning at dawn, and 
preaching services and business meetings later. f 

.“ The church at Mata numbers one hundred and 
twenty-nine members; and, in some respects, it has been 
favored above all other churches of this district. Dr. 
Wade lived there two rainy seasons, and taught school 
while preparing some of his numerous works for the press ; 
but they drink a great deal now. Several church meetings 


Lncidents of Mission Life. lg 


were held; and some of the older teachers stayed a few 
days to do something in the way of discipline. They 
have a pastor with them, but do not work very harmoni- 
ously. We hope, however, they are going to do better 
hereafter. 

“T feel as though there was something abnormal about 
a Christian who cannot read. How shall they spend their 
Sabbaths? How very small are their opportunities of 
knowing the revealed will of God! We surely should not 
have had the Bible, if it had not been intended that religion 
and education should go hand in hand. 

‘All the meetings were well attended. Probably, some 
two hundred and fifty or three hundred strangers were 
present. Some of these were heathen, but most of them 
were Christians. We started home Monday morning, 
stopped at the same places as when we went out, and 
reached home at ten o’clock, Tuesday. We were at least 
three hours longer on the road than in going out. We 
slept from eight to twelve o’clock, Monday night, and 
started on by moonlight, hoping to reach home before the 
sun was very high. Yet it was ten o’clock when we came 
along the paddy-fields, and we were a little afraid of* sun- 
stroke ; but all ended well. About seventy came back the 
same day and stopped here. How busy we were! A little 
medicine, soap, books, almanacs, communion wine, or ad- 
vice of some kind, was wanted by each before he went back 
to the jungle. All the teachers were supplied with school- 
books. 

“The Karen houses in Mata are not unlike the houses in 
town, though the basket-work is coarser, the bamboo of 
which it is woven being from three to eight inches wide. 
But the village is very strange. There are no streets at all. 
No cart could pass through the town. There are only paths 
three or four feet wide, leading in all directions through the 
forest. A few steps from the houses there is a tangled 
juneles Of course, thismis very cool’;) but I think it isa 
cause of the great frequency of ague.” 


28 The Tavoy Mission, 


JUNGLE SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS. 
“March 13, 1878. 

‘““We hear very good reports from the pupil teachers in 
the jungle. The largest school of which we have heard has 
twenty pupils. Most of them have seven, eight, nine, twelve, 
etc. From two of the boys who. went to heathen villages, 
we hear that they try to preach, and that some have become 
Christians. One says he has great difficulty in keeping the | 
people from talking during service. Still another writes that 
his pupils are so smart that he shall not be able to teach 
them much longer. 


KAREN TRADITIONS, 
“ December 2.1870: 

“T learned a little.of heathen Karen traditions and cus- 
toms the other day that interested me, and perhaps it will 
you. From the likeness of some of their customs to those of 
the Jews, some have thought that these people were the lost 
tribes of Israel. One of their heathen customs is to kill a 
chicken at certain seasons and put the blood on the door- 
posts. ‘They believe they are at some time to have a king 
who is to rule the whole world. They also know the name 
of God, but do not think they should speak his name, but 
call him ‘ grandfather’ ordinarily. This unspeakable name 
is not very unlike the unspeakable Yah of the Jews, and is 
the name now commonly used among Christians.” 


ANOTHER AGED CHRISTIAN. 
“December 28, 1878. 
‘“We have found here a Chinaman who was converted at 
Mr. Boardman’s school, and baptized about forty-eight years 
ago. He was with Mr. Boardman when he died, and helped 
to bring the body in. He used to take care of the little 
Georgie, now Dr. Boardman, of Philadelphia.” 


Incidents of Mission Life. 29 


THE TOWN SCHOOL. 
: “June 4, 1879. 
“Till the first of this month, we had only one teacher,— 
Plau Pau,— beside a Burmese teacher. We opened school 
with about thirty pupils, but almost daily arrivals have in- 
creased our number to ninety. A young man from Mr. Car- 
penter’s school has now joined us, so the school does not 
suffer, though we do more work than we have ever done 


before. ... Our school is more advanced than ever before ; 
and our first class is larger. Mr. Norris, formerly missionary 
to Tavoy, has been with us. ... He is astonished at the cost 


of living; and the Deputy Commissioner says it is three times 
as great as it was ten years ago.” 


REMOVAL OF PLAU PAU. 
| “July 7, 1879. 


““Mr. Carpenter is sending us a new man to take charge of 
our school in place of Plau Pau. Do you remember an or- 
dained teacher, Tau Moo, who died in Mata a short time 
since? They want Plau Pau to come there very much ; and 
they really need a good man, for the church is in a run- 
down state in the midst of a large heathen population. Plau 
Pau has always been in such perfect sympathy with us in all 
we do, or try to do, that we shall part with him with some 
fear lest the new man may not be so hearty.... He is a 
remarkably genial man, and a real father to the school, from 
whom he receives the truest respect and most childlike con- 
fidence. A younger man will in some respects be better 
suited to our wants.” 

Sully 2851370. 

... “Plau Pau left us on Tuesday for Mata. It was really 
a great trial to have him go; and, if we had money and 
teachers in abundance, we should have kept him as pastor. 
We have been afraid the school would really feel lonely 
without him; but, as Mr. Morrow says, they must learn to 
part with friends. ‘The evening after he left, one of the boys 


30 Lhe Tavoy Mission. 


broke his collar bone while at play. I bandaged him up; 
and he has kept pretty quiet, so we have not had as much 
trouble with him as we did with the boy who was afflicted in 
the same way two years ago. We have had more sickness 
during the last week than in all the year before,— nothing 


serious, however.” 
“September 11, 1879. 


...“* You can hardly realize what a home feeling we are 
getting among this people, and we are ourselves astonished 
at the real love we have for these young people. It would 
be hard indeed to leave them.... The pupils are all well 
now, though the little boy, of whom I wrote in my last, died 
the next morning,—after the letter was sent,—and was 
buried in the evening. His poor father and mother came 
while the school were at the grave. This was an only son. 
the family having lost one while he was studying for the 
ministry at Rangoon ; and the mother hoped this one would 
be;avpreacher.”. 


HEAVY RAIN. 
“ November 26, 1879. 


“During the Convention, we had very heavy rain; and we 
have just had letters from a Karen village near Mergul, 
saying that on November 11 there was an earthquake there, 
which caused the rocks and mountains to fall. The rain 
also was very severe, so that five houses were swept away 
and five persons were lost, one of whom was a sister of one 
of our boys, and daughter of the late teacher. Their chapel 
and teacuer’s house were swept away, and a great deal of 
paddy destroyed.” ... 


MORE PASTORS NEEDED. 
“ December 6, 1879. 


...‘*We are plodding on as usual in our school work. 
We expect to close in about three weeks now, and allow the 
children to go home before association. Last week, another 
of our jungle teachers passed away. We do not know how 
to spare him, for we have no one to fill his place; and he 


Incidents of Mission Life. aI 


leaves a flock of fifty pastorless. The Karens do not like 
boys for pastors. In the old times, they were governed 
by elders; and now, though under the English government, 
the old men of the village have a great deal of authority. 
The heathen sometimes ask us to send them a permanent 
teacher, but tell us, at the same time, they do not want a 
boy. Our boys can do something now in the way of teach- 
ing and preaching among the heathen, but it will be several 
years yet before they can fill these vacancies. In the mean 
time, we can only pray to the Lord of the harvest. As this 
is the poorest of all the Karen districts, preachers do not 
care to leave their own fields of work, where they have 
enough to do, and more of this world’s goods than they can 
get here. They are not very unlike many of the pastors at 
home in this respect. Still, we hope some one may be found 
to help us. The little church which has been thus afflicted 
is now putting up a new chapel. We fear they may be dis- 
couraged, but trust not.” 


g STATE OF THE WORK. 


A short extract from one of Mr. Morrow’s letters, dated 
December 16, 1878, gives a missionary’s estimate of the 
work, after nearly two years’ experience. In the reference to 
the Burmese, it should be remembered that he is speaking of 
Tavoy district and the past few years : — 


“Another mistake made at home is to think the work 
here is nearly completed, or at least far advanced. Possibly, 
this idea may cause the indifference which prevails among 
many of the home Christians. On the contrary, it is only 
begun. Of course, much has been done for the Karens, and 
yet only a fraction of what is necessary ; but for the Burmese 
there has been little or nothing. In our district there is one 
Christian to every forty thousand, Vhis may give you an 
idea of the work. I hope you will not think from what I 
say that we have not many noble Christians here. We have, 
indeed. Their liberality is beyond praise. During the past 


22 Lhe Tavoy Mission. 


. ‘a ° 
year, some of our native churches have averaged thirteen 
rupees a member for benevolent work outside their own 
villages. ” . 


These letters bring the history of the mission up to the year 
1880. After reporting recent jungle tours, Mr. Morrow wrote 
under date of June 30: ‘Our school began the 5th of May, 
and has gone steadily on. We never had a more promising 
school than at present. We have a larger number from 
distant heathen villages than ever before, most of them 
brought here by our pupils who spent the vacation in these 
localities. This we regard as gaining ground; for these 
young people will return, we trust, to instruct their friends 
in the new way. Several of our pupils are now waiting bap- 
tism. We have at present eighty-five in attendance.... We 
have sent six of our best young men to Rangoon to the The- 
ological Seminary. We long for the time when they shall 
return to labor for Christ in these jungles. If we only had 
a sufficient number of qualified native laborers, we feel that 
this district would soon be won to Christ.” 2 


For more than fifty years, the Tavoy Mission has been one 
of the beacon-lights for the truth in the dark land of Burmah. 
At times, the fire has burned low, but it has never gone 
entirely out. With the coming of the new missionaries, it 
was kindled anew. May it continue to burn brighter and 
brighter in the years to come} 


